F2000: Besnard Takes Fifth Pole of Season at Mid-Ohio

14 June 1998

LEXINGTON, Ohio Australian David Besnard continued his domination
in the U.S. F2000 National Championship, taking his fifth pole of the
season at the U.S. Road Racing Classic. Local driver Sam Hornish Jr. will
start second.

Besnard, who has won four of the first six races this season,
turned a record-setting lap of 1:25.300 (100.116 mph) in the No. 13 Primus
Racing Karts Van Diemen Ford, topping teammate Hornish Jr., of Defiance,
Ohio, by 0.432-second. Both drivers set their respective fastest times in
the first round of qualifying on Friday. Saturday's session was run in wet
conditions.

"We had a miss in the engine in qualifying, so I think we can go
faster in the race tomorrow," said Besnard. "I think Sam and I will try to
just run with it. We've got some distance on the Tatuuses on the grid, and
the Van Diemen is better through the corners. Unlike other tracks, we
don't
have any problems with them on the straights."

Starting third is Ryan Jones, of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., followed by
Marc-Antoine Camirand, of St. Leonard D'Aston, Quebec, and Alejandro
Garcia, of Venezuela.

Besnard leads the point standings 180 to 136 over Ryan Hampton, of
Glendora, Calif., who will start eighth.

-30-

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Starters for the 20-lap, 48.0-mile U.S. F2000 National
Championship Round Seven Race, race part of the U.S. Road Racing Classic
at
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with starting position, car number in
parenthesis, driver, hometown, class, car, time and speed in
miles-per-hour.